Beeswax Uses

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Waxing the bowstring is necessary for a number of reasons. First, under high magnification, the fiber make-up of the string is visually different from what you may think. Millions of extremely fine fibers going in many directions make up a single strand. The general flow is unidirectional lengthwise with a clockwise twist. All those millions of fibers need a lubricant between each other in order to not create friction or any other force to compromise their integrity. The more unidirectional fiber flow, the better the string. Regardless, the lubricant must be present. That is the reason for the wax. A barrier between fibers is always present yet also holds them together and their total strength is enhanced. With our high-tech world, wax is still the best material for this purpose.

Secondly, for much the same reasons, wax protects the string from the environment. Dirt, rain, clothing or any number of contaminants come into daily contact with the string. The wax forms an effective barrier protecting the string from these outside forces. If there is not enough wax present, the string may be receiving damage from many areas. These are internal as well as external.

Beeswax is the thickening agent used in herbal oils to convert them to ointments (or balms.) In addition to the nutrition found in the herbs, themselves, beeswax also adds its owns nutrients to the finished product. To make an herbal ointment, first make the oil extraction as follows:

Put 7 ounces dried herb (or mixture of herbs), into a quart jar along with 20 ounces of extra virgin olive oil and 8 ounces of wheat germ oil. Put the lid on the canning jar and set it in the sun for 4 hours to 3 days. Then strain or press the oil from the herbs (cheesecloth or muslin works well.) Add enough olive oil to regain 28 ounces of oil.

To make the oil into an ointment: melt 6 ounces of beeswax in the top of a double boiler. In another pan heat the oil to 140 deg. F, then pour into the melted beeswax. Stir while cooling, and pour mixture into ointment jars when the temperature has reached approximately 120 deg. F. Put the lids on the jars only when completely cool. Be sure to label the jar so you will know what kind of ointment it contains and when it was made.

Bag Pipes

Beeswax is used to coat the hemp that is used on bagpipe joints and tuning slides.

Beeswax has been used in the past, and still is used today for waxing pine needle baskets. The beeswax is melted and applied in a thin to moderately
heavy coat using a foam brush or just a spoon. The basket is then put in a low temperature oven on a piece of tin foil. As the wax melts into the pine
needle coils it helps stiffen the basket as well as protect the threads used to make the basket.
For more information go to http://www.primpines.com/

Batik is a technique of textile design accomplished by negative (or resist) dyeing. It is also the name of the resulting fabric. Designs are first painted on both sides of a cloth in melted beeswax, traditionally poured from a copper pot with several spouts, or applied with various hand tools. After patterning, the cloth is dipped in dye, which is absorbed by the uncovered cloth areas but resisted by the waxed design, thus creating a light pattern on a dark ground. After the wax is removed (by boiling or dissolving) the process may be repeated many times to achieve great intricacy of design and richness of color.

Bronze statues should be coated twice a year with a solution consisting of 1/3 pound of pure beeswax dissolved in one quart of pure pine turpentine. This solution is to be brushed over the statue in a swirling motion, using round semi-stiff hair brushes. Let solution dry for 24 hours, then rub lightly with a felt, velvet or wool pad, to only the high points of the statue so as to leave the depressions with a shadow effect. Care must be taken to apply the solution to the statue only when the statue is dry.

Emulsify the dirt and wax in a solution of water/gum turpentine (1:1) with 2–5% Igepal, CO-630, a non-ionic wetting agent, and 1% Aerosol-OT, an emulsifier. The most successful method was to lay a soaked diaper compress on the surface, wait 15 minutes for the wax to be emulsified, and then wipe the emulsified wax off with a second saturated diaper. Stiff brushes and nylon pads are essential for cleaning out details such as hair and folds.

After the first solvent strip, wash the sculpture, with a 5–10% aqueous solution of a commercial detergent and grease cutter to help remove remaining traces of wax and emulsified run-off.

Beeswax is used to flux molten lead when casting bullets. It helps removes the impurities.

If your sink has an old patina finish you should apply a thin layer of beeswax each month to maintain the original finish in top shape and protect the sink. Use a pure, filtered yellow beeswax in block form. Ensure the temperature is at least 70 degrees. Rub the beeswax block along the sink taking care to coat the entire surface. Lastly, run your tap water at the hottest setting over the sink surface (using a hand sprayer works best) to seal the surface and cure the beeswax coating. Repeat once a month.

Mix together equal parts of melted beeswax and honey for a good home remedy for cracked hooves of animals. Clean and dry the crack before applying the mixture.

The didgeridoo is an ancient tribal Aboriginal instrument from Northern Australia. Traditional didgeridoos are made from a branch or trunk of the blood wood tree, a species of eucalyptus that bleeds a red sap when cut. White ants eat out the core of the tree and branches. Three tree is then cut down, a section selected and the inside cleaned with sticks and water. Often beeswax is used to make a mouthpiece. Since the inside of the instrument is rough and irregular the tone color may be more complex, or at least unique.

Beeswax is the common start, but it is mainly used in products. To use it in your dreads, you need to melt it to apply it. That is where the problems come in. You have to melt it, which is a major process, then you must work it into the dreads before it hardens. Dreads can take hours and hours to make, so you are melting the beeswax over and over. Pure beeswax is great stuff, but the drawbacks are many. Its a lot easier to use a beeswax based product, especially ones created specifically for dreadlocks.

Made from Pure Beeswax, Cotton & Lanolin, this soft-moldable ear plug forms itself to the shape of your ear canal each time you insert it, giving you a Personal Custom Fit that seals so completely that it Blocks Out more Sound than any other ear plug !!!

The advent of electricity has made it easy to control the heat of tools, but in Ancient times, when encaustic was first used, the heat source was charcoal. The Greeks, Romans & Egyptians would melt the mixture of Beeswax and Damar Resin over this heat-source and blend the ingredients together, probably in a proportion of about 85% Beeswax to 15% Damar. Once the wax formula was molten the colored pigments could be introduced. These would mainly have been earth pigments, the right colored dirt! The wax color was then painted onto a wooden support about 3mm thick using natural hair brushes. Some of the strokes would have to have been quick. Too much dallying would lead to the wax re-solidifying on the brush, making it impossible to apply as a paint.

Needle etching is an early etching technique which seems to have gone out of use about 1940. The glass is coated with a resist (perhaps straight beeswax, and the design is scratched through the wax with a needle. The glass is then etched with hydrofluoric acid.

Melt equal portions of resin and beeswax in a double boiler. Allow the mixture to cool and roll it out into sticks. Wrap in wax paper and store in a cool, dry place.

The first step begins with the artist creating an original sculpture.. This is usually created from wax or clay, though other materials can be used as well. A flexible mold is made from the artist's original. This mold captures every detail put into the artist's original work, and is one of the most critical phases in the bronze process. This mold is used to create duplicates of the original design. The molds are then used to form wax figures; molten wax is poured into the rubber mold, producing a perfect copy of the original sculpture . The wax casting is removed from the mold, and a trained artisan hand-finishes the wax pattern to original perfection. Each wax casting is treated as if it were an original work of art. Wax rods, called gates, are attached to the wax pattern to allow the even flow of molten metal and to alleviate the trapping of air and gas. A spree cup is placed onto the wax to receive the molten bronze. The wax is then coated with an "investment:' a liquid refectory ceramic. Several layers are applied creating a stable mold which is allowed to cure for several days. The piece, now coated in ceramic shell, is fired in a kiln. This bakes the shell and eliminates the wax, leaving a cavity in its place. The ceramic shell is removed from the kiln and molten bronze is immediately poured into the form.

Used to help lubricate drills and saws especially in metal fabrication. Helps protect the cutting edges and keep them sharp.

Measure out 1 tsp. powdered gum-arabic, 1 tsp. of Murphy's Oil Soap, and 2 tsp. water into a stainless steel dish. Mix thoroughly while gently heating by holding over stove. If dish becomes too hot to hold you are over heating. While still warm, add 2 teaspoons molten bees wax, stirring constantly while continuing to hold over heat. When of a uniform consistency let the mixture cool to room temperature. Add several drops of your favorite scented oil (if desired) and shear the solidified mass against the bottom of the stainless steel dish with a stainless steel mixing spatula to create a smooth and thick cream. Slowly and in small quantities add water to this mix, continuing slowly while still shearing until the desired consistency is reached. It will create a light water-soluble paste. Store tightly capped to avoid evaporation of water.

A simpler formula is to heat and mix equal parts beeswax and Vaseline. You can adjust the stiffness by increasing or decreasing the amount of vaseline.

For wooden toys you can make your own polish/finish/protectant : mix equal part mineral oil and beeswax. Heat in a double boiler and rub on furniture or toys, then buff off excess.

How do you clean up an oil spill? With balls of beeswax, what else?! These aren’t your usual balls of beeswax, however. These contain microorganisms (little critters that can only be seen under a microscope) that “eat” oil.

Petrol Rem, Inc. of Pittsburgh, Penn. invented the idea. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Marshall Space Flight Center helped to design the tiny beeswax balls (microcapsules).

The beeswax microcapsules are designed so that water cannot get in, but oil can. When the oil seeps through the shell, the microorganisms inside release enzymes that digest the oil. When the balls get full of digested oil, they explode. They release enzymes, carbon dioxide and water, all environmentally safe. This mixture is even good fish food!

Beeswax is used to fill in the seams between the pieces of slate when setting up a pool table.

Beeswax is used for waxing the thread before you bind the cane onto the staples, it makes the binding just that little bit more air-tight and helps the thread to stop slipping on the staple.

Beeswax is used to coat the sewing thread to strengthen it and to give it a smooth coating so that it is less like to catch or snag material while sewing.

Whip makers today using nylon paracord for making whips dip the laces in the wax before plaiting the whips .Some others do it after making the whips. It waterproofs the whips as well as adds a little weight the nylon cords.

Beeswax is used as a lubricating agent when pulling gold and other precious metals into thin wires or strands.